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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2012)
AIN’T NO BELLY FLOP BELLY TAQUERIA’S AFFORDABLY AWESOME TACOS Belly’s new taco shop is the perfect partner BY ANDY VALENTINE F PHOTO BY TRASK BEDORTHA or those who have had the pleasure of eating at local dinner phenomenon Belly, it’s incredibly diffi cult to beat, but the powers that be at the restaurant have decided to further the Belly name with a new location specifi cally for tacos. The partnering restaurant location, Belly Taqueria, is just as delicious as the original spot, though it’s less expensive, and the food is served in smaller portions. This, however, does not mean that you won’t leave with your belly brimming with Belly. If you fi nish, say, one beer-battered, deep-fried scallop taco and still have a hankering for more (maybe lengua this time!) then the waiters and waitresses will simply take multiple orders on a need-to-eat-more basis. And we should probably sit down and discuss the chorizo dish, “El Flameado,” for a second, because, honestly, it’s a delight, and that’s all there is to it. The house-made chorizo is delectable and lip-smackingly juicy, and the whole thing is topped with fl aming cheese. Yeah — the cheese is actually on fi re when it arrives at your table. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, and the atmosphere in both of these scenes is worth checking out. Inside, the place is decorated as gloriously and welcomingly as any Eugene hot spot should be, and it’s nice to hear, literally, that the folks staffi ng the spot aren’t afraid to let the music blare once in a while (“Thriller” never sounded better). The prices at Belly Taqueria, as previously mentioned, are deftly lower than the original Belly restaurant, with most of the tacos on the menu ringing up at $3-$4. The new restaurant’s taco tradition originated with Taco Mondays at Belly. The highest priced item on the entire taqueria menu, as far as food goes, is the El Flameado, which comes in at $6. Not bad for a big ol’ mountain of cheese and sausage and a huge tortilla, eh? The drinks aren’t priced all that badly, either, with delicious (and therefore deadly) sangria coming in at six bucks. And I do believe they are sporting a hibiscus mojito, also; I challenge you to not enjoy washing your food down with that. So if you’re in the mood for gourmet badassery — the kind that only the folks over at Belly are laying down — but your pocketbook is a little bit strapped, then head for Belly Taqueria; it won’t disappoint, and pretty soon you’ll have a bellyful of Mexican food-babies to take home and share the memories with. ■ Belly Taqueria is located at 291 E. 5th Ave.; for info call 687-8226 or visit eatbelly.com (8*(1(·6:25/'&/$66 1(,*+%25+22'*52&(5<6725( /2&$/1$785$/25*$1,& *2850(763(&,$/7<9$5,(7< 7+(&$3(//$0$5.(7'(/, 0DGHWR2UGHU 6DQGZLFKHV &RIIHH 7HD 2UJDQLF-XLFHV 6PRRWKLHV )URPWKH.LWFKHQ 6RXSV $SSHWL]HUV (QWUHHV 6DODGV 6LGH'LVKHV 6OLFHGWR2UGHU +RW%UHDNIDVW 'HOL0HDWV 7RDVWZLWK&KHHVH 7RPDWR 6FUDPEOHG(JJV &KHHVH %XON&KHHVHV )UHQFK7RDVWDQG+RPHIULHV )RU(YHQWV/DUJH 6PDOO %R[/XQFKHV 3DUW\7UD\V &KHHVHV 0HDWV9HJJLHV2OLYHV $SSHWL]HUV(QWUHHV 6DODGV6LGH'LVKHV DQG6RXSV g in October 201 n i m 2 o C /(786+(/3<28:,7+<2851(;7(9(17 &$//$1'$6.)257+('(/, WK :,//$0(77((8*(1( 23(1'$,/<$030ZZZFDSHOODPDUNHWFRP SÖٮĦ¥®½ FÙÃÙÝ’ MÙ»ã ó®½½ ÃÊò ®ÄÝ® ãÊ Êà MÙ»ãÖ½ΜSÖÙÊçã! Marketplace@Sprout! ùÙ-ÙÊçÄ ®ÄÊÊÙ/ÊçãÊÊÙ ¥ÙÃÙÝ' ÃÙ»ã Local Foods * Artisan Goods * Entertainment * Year-round SNAP Mã« PÙʦÙà Aò®½½! óóó.SÖÙÊçãFÊÊHç.ÊÙ¦ ÊÙ 541.345.7106 DÊóÄãÊóÄ SÖٮĦ¥®½ 418 A SãÙã ®Ä ã« «®ÝãÊÙ® F®ÙÝã C«Ù®Ýã®Ä C«çÙ« EÄãÙ ãÊ W®Ä $20 ®Ä MÙ»ã TÊ»ÄÝ ã«ÙÊ禫 9/30! Like us @facebook.com/freshandlively Bring this ad to the NEDCO Market table 4 CHOW! Fall 2012 chow.eugeneweekly.com
